Dreams

We all have those dreams. Those goals that are far distant, something that we think we would love to have happen, something that is to us incredible. For some people it may be owning a farm, for others winning a Nobel prize or a Gold medal. Some people aspire to greatness, to being noticed, others merely to obtaining a decent livelihood. But we all dream. The question then becomes, will we achieve our dreams? Will we reach for the stars, or merely gaze up at them wishing? There is a danger that comes when we reach for the stars. After all, what if we never get there? The stark reality of gravity may bring us hurtling back down to earth, and that is bound to hurt. It's much easier, much safer, to have two feet firmly planted on the ground of "reality" never leaving, only wishing. But how much less rewarding! There's always the chance that when we make that reach, take that leap, that we'll reach the stars, that we'll grasp them and soar farther than even we had imagined. But in order to do so we have to take the risk. We have to be willing to give up something, maybe a lot of things. We have to be willing to experience times of failure, where maybe we do just come crashing back down, and then we have to be willing to get back up and try again. The vast majority of the time this will most likely be the case. But sometimes, in our leap for the stars, we may just grasp one, but perhaps not the one we had originally intended to. It seems to me that in our pursuit for a dream we will often discover a new one, perhaps completely different from the one we had previously imagined, and we may find that we are indeed content with the realization of that heretofore unimagined dream. The man who goes out to become a doctor may discover that he is perhaps meant to be a teacher. Something he had never imagined, but then he loves it, loves it more than he could have ever imagined, and perhaps more than he could have ever loved being a doctor. This new dream becomes his reality. No longer is he standing, merely wishing for what could be. He soars among the stars, discovering things he would have previously never realized, all because he was willing to take the leap and trust what God may give him. After all, we never quite know where the pursuit of our dreams will take us, but one thing is for certain, in order to soar, we must first make the leap.

Jambo!

Jambo wote! In case you hadn't noticed, that's kiswahili! Yep, that's right, me and my roommate Daniel have begun a quest to learn kiswahili! Let me give you a little background on why in the world we would want to learn this language. The fact is, both Daniel and I are slightly obsessed with the idea of going to Africa. For the past week or more, Africa has probably constituted the vast majority of our conversations. Prior to that I'm sure it's dominated our mission thoughts for a few years. With mission calls coming up so quickly it has merely brought those thoughts to the forefront of our minds. After all, we have both dreamed of going to an African country and serving the people there for quite awhile. In all honesty we have no idea why we want to go there. If we were to really think it through you'd think we'd change our minds. Africa is a dangerous, poverty ridden, often genocidal continent. It is a continent of wars, corruption, crime, death, and despair. However, for some reason it contains a definite allure. The culture there is rich, the people often friendly and full of good will. There are stories of success, faith, and hope, that ring forth from the destitute depths of nations. It is not all bad, and while most definitely dangerous, the people there are still children of God. Who else could need the Gospel of Christ more than those that seem to suffer most? Now don't get me wrong, I will not be disappointed if I do not go to Africa. I am fully aware that throughout the world there are many of God's children that need the Gospel as badly as those in Africa. After all, don't we all need to hear that joyous message! And so, wherever I am called to serve the Lord, I know that there will be those who will receive His message and enter into His rest. That is definitely what ultimately matters, and I know that where I am called will be the place where I can best serve, and probably where I can learn the most about myself and what I need to do and become in my life. Plus, how could I be disappointed in a call that was given to me in the premortal realm! A call I have been foreordained to perform! There is power in the concept of foreordination, and I relish in the thought that I perhaps promised one of my brothers that I would find him and bring him the joy I would be privileged enough to have in my life from its beginning! There is honestly nothing else I would rather do at this point in my life, and wherever I am called to serve, there is nowhere else I would rather go, even if it's not Africa. I cannot wait to serve the Lord, to bring His message to people throughout the world, to show them the joy that I have found in the message of The Book of Mormon and in Christ's Atonement! There are few things that can bring greater joy than bringing joy to the life of another, and that is why I am willing to serve. I want people to know what I know, to feel what I feel, to have the spirit in their lives, and to know that they are Children of God with the divine potential to become like God! To know that Christ loves them, that he suffered for them, and that He lives! There is no greater message, and I feel privileged to know that I will be called to bring it to God's children throughout the world. So for now, Kwaheri, Adios, Zai jian, Tschus, and goodybe. We'll see what language I'll serve in, but in reality, it doesn't matter, because I will have been called to serve!

Ode to Chemistry

Chemistry, the stereocenter of my eye? I think not,
For when I think of you, what do I see?
Propyl chains, and methyl groups, endless chemistry.
Carbon chains from floor to ceiling,
Mirror images, right and left, and all these things
Speak death, as well do Cyclo-rings.

And what does it matter, in the end,
If I can tell one type from the other?
For what am I? Merely a humble bio major.
I study life in all its realms, all but its chemistry.
I know the cell, from its end to start,
and of breathing lungs and beating hearts.

For in the end, what does it matter
If one methylene is different from another?
Biology is what governs life,
and not Chemistry with all its strife!
So I end my ode to you, most loathsome Chemistry.
I think I'll go and learn what they call Biology.

Run, Run, Run

This is my first running post on this Running Croft blog of mine in a long time! This was a pretty fun run I did, actually it wasn't all that fun, it was long, hard, and slightly painful. Luckily I was in one of those moods where I was extremely unhappy that I've allowed myself to get out of shape, so that fueled me throughout the run. Plus, I wanted to touch Utah Lake!

New Blog

So I started a new blog, a photo documentary of my college life! Let me know what you think!

By Small and Simple Things

It's strange. I'd never truly thought of some decisions as having eternal significance. For instance, my decision to take AP classes rather than IB classes. Although I did not know it at the time, this decision has the potential to have eternal consequences. It determined how many AP credits I would receive, as well as who I associated with for three years of my life. From there this decision propagates into other decisions, such as what classes I would take my freshman year, further determining my associations for my first year of college. So it seems that a vast majority of our lives can hinge on a relatively small number of decisions. For instance, although not necessarily a small decision, but a singular one, the college we choose to go to. This decision has a large effect on other decisions that have the potential to define our lives. For example, our careers can be defined by the professors we have, and the research opportunities available at a University. Furthermore, more than likely we will choose to marry an individual whom we associate with in our University. The chances of meeting this individual are further defined by small choices that would seem to have little effect on our marital decision. These small choices can be things such as the place where we choose to live, or the major we choose to pursue. These decisions define who we will spend our time with, and consequently who we will have the opportunity to marry in the future. Thus, these little decisions can create, or limit, opportunities that will have lasting eternal consequences. While the original decisions themselves may have had no immediate or apparent eternal significance, by small and simple things we are led to the large decisions, based on our original "small" decisions.

Yet a common thread emerges between these smaller decisions, revealing a bigger picture on our eternal progression and the path of our lives. It is the thread of our associations. In reality it is not these little decisions that determine who or what we will be. Rather these decisions have defined opportunities for us to choose with whom we will associate. Our associations are a large part of what will define us in the future. Our friends, professors, future or current spouses, and family members all have a profound influence on the individual we will become. Consequently, it is up to us to make the decisions that will place us in locations where we will have the opportunity to choose to associate with people who will be able to influence us for the better, and with whom we can hope to establish lasting relationships of true value. These decisions will in turn enable us to become the best we can be, and return to our Father in Heaven in the best condition possible.

So in other words, my ramblings have only managed to elicit the well known adage, "Choose your friends (and associations) wisely". But, going slightly beyond that; choose our circumstances and opportunities wisely, so that we can in turn have the opportunity to choose our friends wisely. For these small and simple things have eternal consequences.

For Mis Padres

So I'm off to college. When I first got here I was kind of lonely, but I knew I'd get over it soon enough, once my classes started. And I did. This past week was a good one, and in all honesty I wasn't homesick at all. Not sure why, maybe because work kept me from seeing you guys all that much during the summer. Nevertheless, when I came home last night I was struck with a little homesickness. I realized that I'd miss playing those games on Sunday nights, the family dinners, the talks after dinner, and seeing you guys every day. I'll miss the anticipation of Dad having a day off from work so we could do family activities, and I'll miss having family night every week, whether it was playing games, having a lesson, or just watching a movie. Just the little things I guess. I guess I'm not as unattached or independent as I would have liked to think, but I guess that's ok too. So I love you guys, and I'll probably be calling home every once in awhile, especially when I'm trying to figure out if food is expensive or not.

Love,
Your newest college kid